HAVANA, Cuba.- We´ll put our efforts to seek a more fair, equable and inclusive world, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez said when Cuba assumed the leadership of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).
At the opening of the thirty-seventh session of ECLAC, Diaz-Canel presented Cuba’s strong commitment to that agency, with integration, brotherhood and the common struggle for economic and social development in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The Cuban head of State said that despite our shortcomings and difficulties, we will also maintain the commitment to help other countries under the principle of sharing what we have, not what what is left over.
The real purpose has to be the search for equal opportunities and social justice, Diaz-Canel said when Cuba received the presidency of ECLAC for the next two years.
Cuban Recognition to ECLAC
The Cuban President acknowledged the work of ECLAC, and said it has been a reference in knowledge in Latin America and the Caribbean for decades and has contributed to situating equity at the center of development.
He recalled the region is the most unequal of the planet, as a result, from the Cuban point of view, of imperialism, Neoliberalism and policies favoring transnationals and made deeper the differences of classes.
There is no choice but to advance integration and development with equity, the Cuban head of State stressed at the opening of the thirty-seventh session of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean.
During the session the ECLAC’s 70th anniversary commemorative medal was given to Diaz-Canel, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto.
ECLAC in Pursuit of Sovereign Development of Peoples
The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, (ECLAC), is the authentic voice of Latin America and the Caribbean, and its work is to provide timely, rigorous and committed support for the sovereign development of peoples, its Executive Secretary, Alicia Bárcena asserted.
In the opening of the session of that UN agency, Barcena assured it considers equality as an essential principle for development.
The ELAC´s Executive Secretary referred to the corruption still existing in the area, where 57 per cent of citizens do not trust their institutions, and also to poverty with more than 187 million people affected.
Barcena thanked the Government and the noble Cuban people, who build its own and original destiny, in spite of the undeniable effects of blockade.
Cuba Assumes Presidency of Cepal
I´m sure that from CEPAL´s Presidency, Cuba will contribute with talent, commitment and leadership to the region keep having good results, Francisco Guzman, Chief of the Presidency´s Office of Mexico, said.
At the opening of the thirty-seventh session of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean session at the Convention Palace of Havana, the Mexican official highlighted the successful trajectory of that regional institution of the United Nations created seventy years ago.
As never before we must create synergies and alliances with neighboring countries, because the progress of one contributes to the growth of the whole region, Guzman underlined.
After mentioning the Mexican achievements when this country led ECLAC, the head of the Office of the Mexican Presidency stated that the challenges we face are still many, but the growth potential of the region is greater.
Building a Roadmap for the Future
The Secretary-General of the United Nations Organization, Antonio Guterres, said that, at seventy years of its founding, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) is still in the forefront of efforts to forge an economic, structural and progressive transformation.
This approach is more necessary than ever before the challenges of an increasingly complex world, Guterres he stressed at the session of the Agency.
Guterres considered that ECLAC has promoted a vision of development that considers equality as a driving force for growth, and added that 2030 Agenda constitutes a roadmap to eradicate poverty in which millions of people live.
He mentioned as challenges empowering women, reducing climate risk, creating decent jobs, and offering dignity and opportunities to all.